Bagels are a great breakfast food item highly favored because of their flexibility. It pairs extremely well with various spreads and toppings like peanut butter, cream cheese, lox, or salmon. However, if you have recently switched to a vegan lifestyle or have been at it for years, you may think: are bagels vegan? Being a vegan, can I eat bagels? Which vegan bagel brand is good? And so on. We’ll break it to you here.

Are Bagels Vegan?

Before we address this basic query, it’s critical that you, the reader, comprehend the nature of bagels. Despite being referred to as “just bread,” bagels differ due to their manufacturing process. To make bread, combine flour, yeast, and water. After that, it is baked for a few minutes or until it becomes brown and fluffy and soft.

Both bread and bagels are made with the same flour, yeast, and water. But before they are cooked, bagels are boiled and then dried. Thus, a bagel’s interior is thick and chewy, while its exterior is crisp and shining. They are typically fashioned like doughnuts, bagels feature a dark top covered in sesame, sunflower, or poppy seeds.

Vegan-Friendly Bagel Ingredients

The main ingredients that are used in all bagels are:

  • Wheat Flour: Wheat flour is the base of all bagels and is made from plants, so it is a vegan-friendly choice.
  • Water: A basic and animal-free component, water is vital in preparing bagel dough.
  • Yeast: It is an essential microbe derived from plants and is responsible for leavening the dough and facilitating its correct rise.
  • Sugar: This is often used to nourish the yeast and impart a sweet flavor to the dough. Although most sugar is considered cruelty-free, it is recommended to confirm that it has not been processed with bone char.
  • Salt: A basic component utilized to augment flavor; vegan salt is an essential component in bagel preparations.

What Makes Bagels Non-Vegan?

Some bakeries add a few animal-based ingredients to their base to make the bagels taste better. Hence, not all bagels are vegan. Here is a list of these items. You can find these items in most of the bagels.

  • Milk: Some bagels use milk instead of water in the dough to make the bagel creamier and sweeter.
  • Eggs: Egg wash can be brushed on top of xxxtentacion shop bagels to give them their unique shine, or mixed into the dough to make it taste and look better. Eggs can also soften and lighten the bread.
  • Honey: Bee honey is sometimes a sweetener instead of sugar or molasses. Even though many see it as a healthier option, vegans refuse to accept that bees are harmed in industrial honey production.
  • L-Cysteine: A frequent non-vegan addition in baked products is L-cysteine, derived from human hair and poultry feathers. It is also called a dough conditioner. It reduces mix time and improves extensibility, making dough simpler to handle.

Fillings And Toppings

Certain conventional bagel fillings and garnishes, including but not limited to the following, are not vegan!

  • Something made from milk, like cheese, cream cheese, whipped cream, and so on.
  • Eggs: plain eggs or spreads made with eggs, like mayonnaise and hollandaise
  • Animal meats like ham, beef, turkey, chicken, and more.
  • Fish, like smoked over wood, caviar, and so on.

How To Ensure Your Bagel Is Vegan

If you are in doubt about are bagels vegan, here are some methods to make sure your bagels are suitable for vegans.

Make Your Own Bagels

The majority of bagel recipes are suitable for vegan diets, and when you make your own, you have complete control over the ingredients. Additionally, plenty of vegan additions can enhance the taste and diversity of your bagels. Additions like seeds, nuts, onions, garlic, spices, dried or fresh herbs, and cereals like oats and rye can enhance a basic dough recipe. Some alternative toppings include vegan cream cheese, nut butter, tofu, avocado, hummus, leafy greens, veggies, berries, and more.

Verify Vegan Certification

While explicit labeling of vegan or non-vegan food items is not mandatory in the majority of countries, certain independent organizations are more than willing to do so. It’s always best to check to see if these autonomous organizations align with your personal beliefs, though, as they will likely have very varied standards and requirements. Additionally, certain vegan products may lack certifications or vegan labels on the packaging; therefore, it is prudent to read the product label.

Read Product Labels

When in doubt, the best way to be certain you’re just consuming vegan bagels is to carefully read the product labels when you purchase them from the shop. Check your bagels for eggs, honey, milk, whey, lactose, and casein. L-cysteine should be designated with their designated number E920 or labeled as such.

Wise Words

The conclusion that we would want to draw from this blog is that the answer to the question are bagels vegan is not as straightforward as a yes or a no. In great part, it is determined by the toppings and ingredients that are used. Vegans can enjoy this beloved cuisine without compromising their diet by being conscious of these.